Police officers on Sunday night arrested a notorious lone highway robber who has been terrorising truck drivers at the Isiolo-Garbatula Junction after a dramatic chase that ended in a crash near the Archer’s Police Post.
According to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI), the suspect, a 36-year-old man, is reported to have been posing as a stranded traveler to flag down vehicles for a lift.
Before the dramatic chase and subsequent arrest, the suspect deployed a similar strategy when he flagged down a Mitsubishi lorry at the Isiolo-Garbatula junction, pretending to seek a lift to Archer’s Town.
The driver was compassionate enough only for the robber to refuse to alight when the lorry arrived at his destination instead forcing the driver to continue the journey to his chosen destination of 'operation.'
''Posing as a stranded traveler, the suspect flagged down a white Mitsubishi lorry at the Isiolo-Garbatula junction, pretending to seek lift to Archer’s town. The kind-hearted driver, embodying the spirit of a good Samaritan, agreed to give Hassan a ride,'' DCI shared.
''However, upon reaching Archer’s town, Hassan refused to alight as agreed and instead brandished a knife with which he threatened the driver, forcing him to continue the journey.''
Luckily, the driver later jumped out of the moving lorry and escaped unhurt leaving the robber behind the wheel.
The driver immediately reported the incident to a standby team of police officers at the nearby police post, prompting a swift pursuit of the suspect.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to evade capture, the suspect commandeered the lorry towards Isiolo town, taking an unfamiliar murram road.
Unbeknownst to him, he was heading straight into Archer's Police Post where officers had already set up a trap, sealing his fate.
Registering a record panic mode, the suspect veered off the main road and crashed into a tree outside the police post.
He was arrested at the crash site where a search revealed he was armed with a panga, a knife, and a screwdriver, further confirming his dangerous intention.
